The Price of a Pioneer Wardrobe
A look at the retail landscape in 1886 Seattle, where department stores were the primary civic meeting grounds and symbols of progress.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
During the present month, and previous to stock taking, we shall make very marked reductions in all classes of Dry Goods, particularly in Black, Colored and Mixed Dress Fabrics, including Combinations, Brocades, Stripes, Checks, Plaids, Serges, Tricots, Cashmere, Cobourgs, etc., Black and Colored Silks, Satins, Plushes, Velvets and Velveteens. We offer bargains in tailor-made Cloaks and Jackets, and Fancy Neckwear very cheap. We are offering bargains in every department. Stackpool, Jackson & Co., 1004 Front Street.
“We shall make very marked reductions in all classes of Dry Goods, particularly in Black, Colored and Mixed Dress Fabrics.”
While today's downtown Seattle retail scene is defined by e-commerce and changing footprints, the 1886 advertisements for 'Stackpool, Jackson & Co.' remind us that the department store was once the essential social infrastructure of the city, serving as a primary engine for local economic identity.
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